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Georgeland legislative election, 2017
The United Islands of Georgeland held a general election on August 4, 2017. The election was the first since 2002 to be held before the scheduled expiration of the parliament's term. Due to it coming about as a result of a motion of no confidence, the election was held only for the House of Commons, the first Commons-only election since 1970. The election was called after the culmination of the Martingate Scandal. The previous election was twelve months previously; the gap is the shortest between two parliamentary elections since 1999. Incumbent Prime Minister Deborah Rhodes sought a parliamentary majority for the governing Liberal Democratic Party, which was lost when 12 MPs defected to vote with the Conservative opposition, led by Madeline Woods, to pass a motion of no confidence and trigger the election. The writs for the election, and the dissolution of the House, was granted by Acting President Malika Chadhar. This is the first election in Georgeland's history in which the Acting President performed that function. The request for a dissolution was provided to Chadhar by David Keeler, in his capacity as Acting Prime Minister - this, too, was unprecedented. Background Deborah Rhodes became Prime Minister of Georgeland in August 2015 after being elected unopposed as leader of the governing Liberal Democrats. At that time, Rhodes' husband Campbell was Mayor of Santa Christina, having been elected to that office in 2012, after unsuccessfully seeking the presidency in 2008. The couple initially kept themselves politically separate, even residing seperately to avoid any suggestion that the prime minister's husband was unduly influencing her. Mayor Rhodes had been a significant player in the LDP since its foundation, including a time as its national president, and was very much considered the party's most important powerbroker. His influence was generally seen as the reason for his wife's election to the leadership. Both were adamant that Deborah Rhodes was not a puppet for her husband. In 2016, Mayor Rhodes was re-elected to office having declined to run for president and Eileen Purves, president since 2012, was elected to a second term. The Martingate Scandal ended Purves' presidency. The president was investigated for having concealed her cancer diagnosis during the election campaign. Several leading campaign figures, including both Rhodes', were questioned by a Senate committee. On 4 May, Purves resigned the presidency after weeks of speculation. On June 14, the government announced Mayor Rhodes as its choice to serve as president until the conclusion of Purves' term. To avoid any implication of nepotism, the decision was announced while Deborah Rhodes was in London meeting with her British counterpart, Theresa May, and was announced by her deputy, David Keeler. The announcement was met with near-universal condemnation, with press coverage almost entirely negative. Almost all other parties condemned the decision and declared they would vote against it. Several members of the ministry resigned in protest. The vote was held on June 16. This, too, was criticised, as it was placed on the parliamentary notice paper with almost no warning, and with debate on the appointment severely curtailed. The Leader of the House, Janet Hunt, said that this was so the country could "move on" and the government focus on other issues. Opposition leader Madeline Woods said the decision was 'ramming through' the appointment and that it constituted a 'family coup'. The vote, held by a joint sitting of the House of Commons and Senate as the Constitution mandates, was defeated by 166 votes to 173. It was the first time a presidential appointment had been rejected by the parliament, and caused a constitutional crisis. Prime Minister Rhodes, being in London, did not vote, but was not paired for the division as would normally be the case. Immediately following the vote, the government re-iterated that Rhodes was the nominee, and that no other name would be submitted. In response, in the House of Commons that afternoon, the Opposition moved a motion of no-confidence in the government. The government, which had 145 MPs in the chamber, was expected to win easily. However, as soon as the vote was announced thirteen Liberal Democrats crossed the floor and voted with the opposition. The result was a defeat, which by convention required the government either to resign or seek a new election. The Parliament Act 2004, which mandates fixed-terms for the House of Commons, includes a provision for an early election in the event of a government losing the confidence of the House. Timing When the election was called, Prime Minister Rhodes was in London. When the no-confidence vote succeeded, Rhodes cancelled her appointments and addressed the country live via satellite from the Georgeland High Commission on Pall Mall. Rhodes immediately condemned the MPs who defected, and denounced the failure of the confirmation vote as "a shameless act of political egotism". She then announced there would be an election on August 4. As Rhodes was out of the country, the request was delivered to Martin Hall by her deputy, David Keeler. Rhodes then immediately returned to Georgeland. It was the first ever election called while the Prime Minister was out of the country. Georgeland elections are held on the first Friday in August by law. Since this date was within the recognized election campaign period, the date was announced for August 4, the first Friday. Retiring MPs The following Members of the House of Commons did not seek re-election: Liberal Democratic *Deb Bull (Curtis) *Celestine Childs (Smith) *Harry Christensen (North Enfield) *John Cox (East Doubledance) *John Grassley (Lordsman) *Trish Stewart (Follett) *Cindy Washburn (Queensbridge) Conservative *Gillian Cole (Bright) *Jessie Davis (Cheltenham) *Candice Doyle (Hartford) *Earl Hesse (Kingston) In addition, eleven members elected as Liberal Democrats in 2016 contested their seats as Independents: *Michael Bridger (Clarke) *George Forrester (Edwards) *Lawrence McCallum (O'Rourke) *Robert Young (Bruce) *Simon Newman (Fletcher) *Iain Freeman (Flitcroft) *Mervyn Couch (Beale) *Henry Poole (Nottingham East) *Bob Matthews (Timms) *Greg Ryder (Knowles) *Anthony Monk (Lyndhurst) Campaign As the campaign began, it was clear the Rhodes appointment would be the predominant issue. As soon as the election was called, Woods announced that under a Conservative government, a nonpartisan president would be nominated and appointed. The Green Party and Georgeland Alliance both announced they would call for a fresh presidential election. The Liberal Democrats repeated their assertion that the nomination was valid, Rhodes was a qualified candidate, and that the defection of the 13 MPs was contrary to the spirit of good government and democratic process. The presidential appointment ultimately dominated the campaign as expected; however, a poll taken two weeks before election day indicated it was not the most pressing issue concerning voters. The poll, conducted by the Guardian, showed that while voters largely did not approve of the appointment (with only 21% in favour), they were more concerned with climate change, immigration, healthcare and biosecurity issues. The Liberal Democrats capitalised on voters uncertain about Conservative policies, and downplayed the appointment. Attempts by Woods to turn the campaign into a referendum on the Rhodes appointment generally backfired, and the Tories consistently lagged behind the government in polls. After the election, political analyst Greg Duxworth wrote: The feeling on the campaign trail was less an approval of the nepotistic appointment and more a 'get on with it' by Georgeland voters. It wasn't that they wanted the Prime Minister to appoint her husband to the highest political office - it was that they honestly didn't care who the president was when the planet was warming up, NHS waiting times were getting worse, and there was a percieved refugee crisis. Voters were generally happy with the government, and while they hated this whole affair, didn't think it justified electing the Conservatives. There was a definite plague on both their houses, as something continued to rot in the state of Georgeland. Debates Only one televised debate was held, on the evening of Sunday, 22 July. The debate featured only Woods and Rhodes, as was standard to that time. Moderated by Helen Judd, the debate also featured a series of questions selected from submissions by the audience. It was broadcast live on GBC TV and streamed online. A poll conducted after the debate and social media analysis showed roughly 40% considered Woods to have won, while 30% thought Rhodes won and 30% thought there was no winner. Polling As the campaign began, the Conservatives had a winning lead over the government, with aggregate polls suggesting a 52-48 two-party-preferred vote. The Georgeland Alliance also began in a strong position, with a polling average of 20%, their highest-ever result. As the campaign went on, however, the Liberal Democrats regained the lead and despite Conservative primary vote polling rising, it did not translate into a higher two-party vote. Exit polling revealed on election day showed a 54-46 split in favour of the Liberal Democrats. Results The Liberal Democrats were re-elected, winning a majority of 27 seats. The LDP came out with ttwo more seats they had held in the previous House, with 148, while the Conservatives lost eleven seats. The Green Party won eight Commons seats, mostly in urban areas, and the Alliance went from nine seats to only three. Seats changing hands Aftermath Immediately following the election, the government announced it would continue with the process of appointing Campbell Rhodes as President. The second vote on the matter took place on September 10, and Rhodes was sworn in as President the following day. Shortly after the election, several elected Liberal Democrats joined the fledgling Reform party. Over the next two years, the LDP would begin to lose more and more members to other parties and splinter groups, as its support base and electoral popularity collapsed. Madeline Woods was replaced as Conservative leader by Michael Armstrong some time after the election.